Saturday, September 20, 2014

JAL Boeing 767 encounters turbulence near Seoul.

On September 12th around 1730 KST (no time difference with JST), Japan Airlines' (JL/JAL) flight JL093, service from Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) to Seoul/Gimpo (GMP/RKSS), encountered sudden rough air as it was descending to its destination. Although no injuries were reported among the passengers, seven flight attendants sustained minor injuries.

The aircraft involved was Boeing 767-346/ER JA654J, which had departed Haneda at 1535 JST with a load of 218 passengers, including three children, 10 flight attendants, and two pilots. As the 767 was descending to Gimpo, at 4,900 meters (16,000 feet) it experienced what was likely caused by wake turbulence approximately 25 minutes prior to landing, about 95 kilometers southeast of Seoul's airport near downtown. The aircraft landed safely at 1759, four minutes behind schedule.

Of the seven injured cabin crew, one was diagnosed of neck and back sprain which required two weeks of rest and treatment. The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) designates any event that results in injuries requiring treatment for over 48 hours an aviation accident, so this case fell under that category. However, South Korea, which has the authority to investigate the matter as it happened in Korean airspace, is not considering this an accident.